Doug Jeck – Human Figurative Symposium

I’ll never forget the brief exposure to Doug Jeck and his potent work. The process and feeling his works communicate are spiritual and intense in nature. I got a chance to briefly talk with him last summer at Arrowmont’s Human Figurative Symposium. He’s a very easy natured guy going with the flow of his inspirations, but it’s clear he knows potent art when he sees it, and that’s what makes him a fantastic mentor. I recommended he visit the figuration of the Salem Witch Trials in Salem Massachusetts if he hadn’t already seen it. It’s the most frightening thing to experience– comprised of paper-mache crafted human forms from the 17th century setup in a multi-level court room, you can really feel the terror of the poor victims of the Witch Trials.

This is the crafted display Doug submitted for his contribution to the Figurative Symposium Gallery. At first I was very apprehensive of the display ; the face within this coffin like form was alarmingly real and set me on edge. After a moment, I realized this was not just a sculpted crypt, but also a performance piece as the artist himself was exposing his face into the sarcophagus.